Springtime on the Carrizo Plain
Photo: Temblor Range Panorama by Steve Schubert
Explore the expansive 246,000-acre Carrizo Plain National Monument in southeast San Luis Obispo County, viewing spectacular wildflower displays among grasslands, vernal pools, and desert scrub habitats. Geographic features and scenic vistas include Overlook Hill, the salt playa of Soda Lake, trace of the San Andreas Fault along the base of the Temblor Range, Native American pictographs at Painted Rock, and the highest elevation in the county in the bordering Caliente Range.
A virtual field trip will include a visit to the Goodwin Education Center with many fascinating interpretive displays, stops along the trace of the San Andreas Fault at the famous Wallace Creek offset, wildflower viewing locations, the boardwalk access to Soda Lake, and a guided outing to Painted Rock.
The Carrizo is a remnant of the once vast Central Valley grasslands and home to many endemic, rare and endangered flora and fauna. Frequent sightings of raptors include eagles, hawks, and falcons. Rare wildlife species include Tule elk, Pronghorn antelope, Nelson's Antelope ground squirrel, Giant kangaroo rat, San Joaquin kit fox, and Blunt-nosed leopard lizard.
see website at: https://www.blm.gov/visit/carrizo-plain-national-monument
Blunt Nosed Lizard ©Steve Schubert
Register Online
DATES: 1 Saturday: April 15, 2023
TIME: 9:00 - 10:30am
FEE: $15
LOCATION: Online
MODE OF DELIVERY: Live Remote - Zoom; Lecture & guided virtual field trip
INSTRUCTOR: Steve Schubert
QUESTIONS: Contact instructor at s_schub1@msn.com or 805-440-9390
| Meet the instructor | |
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Steve attended college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and received a Master’s degree in Field Biology and a Life Sciences Secondary Teaching Credential. He taught high school biology and earth sciences for several years, has taught natural history courses for Cuesta College Community Programs more than 25 years and works as a naturalist instructor at a local residential outdoor school program called Camp KEEP (Kern Environmental Education Program), attended by more than 3,000 6th grade students each school year. He served on the committee that published the book “Wildflowers of San Luis Obispo” and the eBook “Plants of the Carrizo Plain”. Steve authored the book entitled “The Peregrine Falcons of Morro Rock – A 50-year History”, available at Amazon.com. He is past-President of Morro Coast Audubon Society and is the Volunteer Coordinator of the Hi Mountain Lookout Project (www.facebook.com/condorlookout), a restored fire lookout in Los Padres National Forest where volunteers and college interns radiotrack the movements of California Condors and conduct biological field research projects. He has been a speaker and field trip leader for the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival each year since its inception more than 20 years ago. Steve enjoys kayaking, running, biking, hiking, playing basketball, and wildlife and landscape photography (photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12571965@N07 |
Kangaroo Rats on the Carrizo Plain ©Steve Schubert